USS Helena Drydocks In San Diego

Navy News has a couple of pictures of USS Helena (SSN 725) drydocking on Arco (ARDM 5) at Ballast Point yesterday. The first picture shows Helena coming into dock, while the second one displays one of the dirty little secrets of submarining -- radioactive hair growth on subs:

Let's take a closer look, shall we?


As well as evidence of recent work with the controversial B1rD system near the #1 MBT vents, look at the waterline: the dreaded "green green grass of foam", evidence of continued radioactive experiments by U.S. Navy submarines. What else could cause such a horrendous growth?

Seriously, though, one of my favorite stories about the "green fur" was from one day inport on the good ship Topeka when we decided to clean some of the sea growth off the waterline. I was ship's duty officer, so I was up topside watching the LELT hanging over the side to clean the moss away from the port side, aft of the aft escape trunk (you know what I'm talking about). The Corpsman comes ambling along as we're hauling the LELT up the side, covered in seaweed (the LELT, not the MDR), and Doc asks, "Did you do all the required surveys first?" I somehow was able to keep a straight face and say, "Oh, jeez, we forgot. Do you think that's a problem?" Doc started going ape-shit, until the ELT who was holding the safety line lost it and started laughing. I think the Doc would have actually got the decon station set up if we hadn't stopped him; I would have had to put a guard on him to make sure he didn't call anyone, though...

Going deep...